Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Faces trial after threats to shoot up motel
SPRAGUE — A 69-year-old man accused of threatening to kill people while armed with a loaded firearm at the Sprague Motel is now set to face trial on Friday, April 19, with a readiness hearing scheduled for Monday, March 25.
Michael Gilstrap was charged with one count of felony harassment-threat to kill following his arrest on June 11, 2024, at the Sprague Motel, located at 312 East First Street.
According to reports, deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a man waving a gun and threatening to kill everyone.
“There is a man walking around waving a gun around telling everyone that he is going to shoot everyone in the park. The man is outside right now with a gun,” the caller, Victoria Moreno, told dispatchers, according to court documents.
When deputies arrived, they detained Gilstrap and recovered a Springfield Armory XDS-45ACP semi-automatic pistol. The firearm had a full magazine of hollow-point rounds, six rounds in total, and one live round in the chamber. Deputies also found two additional fully loaded magazines in his possession.
Witnesses told authorities that Gilstrap became visibly agitated during a conversation in one of the motel rooms. At some point, he began making threats to “shoot up the entire place,” starting with the motel office and moving to an RV parked outside.
Gilstrap was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Lincoln County Jail.
His trial was initially scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, but has been postponed to April 19, with a readiness hearing set for March 25.
Olivia Harnack is the award-winning managing editor/photographer/videographer/columnist at the Lincoln County Record-Times, with offices in both Davenport and Odessa, Wash. She is a University of Idaho graduate and a U.S. Army National Guardsman.
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